Oral cleft volumetric assessment by 3D multislice computed tomographic images

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Radiology
• Biomedical Imaging

Background:

• Accurate quantitative assessment of bone volume defects is crucial for planning reconstructive surgeries, especially in cases of oral clefts.
• Traditional methods may lack precision in volumetric analysis of complex bone defects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively assess bone volume defects using multislice computed tomography (CT).
• To establish and validate an efficient image processing protocol for volumetric analysis of bone defects.

Main Methods:

• Bone defects were created in dry skulls to simulate oral clefts and their volumes measured using wax as a gold standard.
• Multislice CT scans were performed on the skulls, and images were processed using specialized volumetric software.
• Intra- and inter-examiner reliability analyses were conducted to ensure consistency and accuracy.

Main Results:

• The developed image processing protocol demonstrated high efficiency (P=0.995).
• Multislice CT exhibited excellent reliability (P=0.997) for studying bone defect volumes.
• No statistically significant differences were found in intra- and inter-observer analyses.

Conclusions:

• Multislice CT is a reliable and efficient technique for the volumetric assessment of bone defects in the alveolar and palatal regions.
• The established image processing protocol accurately calculates cleft volumes, aiding in surgical planning and evaluation.